It may have taken a Facebook campaign to get Betty White to host Saturday Night Live, but the producers and cast of The Middle landed the hardest-working octogenarian in show biz for their season finale the old fashioned way: sucking up big time.
White plays a librarian with her signature mix of sweetness and snark on The Middle's season-ender, threatening young Brick's [Atticus Shaffer] graduation into the third grade. "Brick kind of forgets to return his library books, and Betty's character wants the library books," Shaffer told TV Guide Magazine at a Paley Center tribute to the series. "Brick has to go all out to find his library books and return them in time."
Co-creators Eileen Heisler and Deann Heline revealed that while they had White – whom they grew up worshipping in her role as SueAnn Niven on The Mary Tyler Moore Show – on the brain when creating the character, they doubted they'd snag her for the finale.
"We were in the writers room and we came up with came up with this character the librarian, who's sweet but who's had it with Brick so could be a little evil, too," said Heline. "We thought of Betty White, but she was hotter than hot, so we had no reason to think she was ever going to come on the show. But we wrote her a letter and told her the reason we became TV writers was because of Mary Tyler Moore and we've just been the hugest fans, and we sent her the material and just sucked up in every way possible."
"We said 'You can come when you want – Monday, Thursday, Wednesday at 7…doesn't matter, we'll make it work!'" laughed Heisler. "Getting stunt [guests] is very hard, and we had said to the network 'Look, we're not going to have a stunt for the finale, okay? We're just going to make a nice episode and that's what it's going to be, okay?' And then we got the Betty White idea, and when we landed Betty White we felt like the dog who has the bone in his mouth and [drops it at your feet] "There you go!' it was exciting for us because it was organic and fabulous at the same time. It wasn't like just getting the 'hot' person. It was like getting the hot person who was your favorite comedy goddess."
Even 12-year-old Shaffer was awed by his scene partner, soaking up every lesson he could. "It was very cool, and being able to work with such an icon was an absolute pleasure for me, because she's such a great gal and a really good actor," he said. "Betty and I are both really hardcore animal lovers, so we were able to talk about animals together, and I just learned to be yourself and do what you've got to do."
Shaffer was the only member of the regular cast sharing scenes with White, prompting more than a little envy from his co-stars. "Unfortunately I was out of town the day Betty worked," sighed Patricia Heaton, "but I've sat at dinners with Betty socially and we have mutual friends, and she's who I want to be: not only gifted and talented and hard-working, but kind and lovely and always charming and self-deprecating."
"I wasn't working the day she was shooting," said Neil Flynn, "but I came in anyway just to have the chance to meet her."
Flynn's TV daughter Eden Sher was a bit more ingenious in her effort to get closer to White. "I got to rehearse with her!" said Sher. "I stood in for the little extra girl that's with Brick in the scene. I really wanted to meet her, and then Eileen was like 'Just come to the rehearsal' It was a really private rehearsal, which makes sense because otherwise everyone on the crew would be jumping in, like 'Betty! Betty!' So I got to meet her, which was awesome."
"It was incredible, because she had monologues and she had them all memorized – at rehearsal!" marveled Sher. "She's got the most vivacious, incredible aura to be around. I want to be like that when I'm 88! I want to be like that tomorrow! I want to be like that ALWAYS!"
White plays a librarian with her signature mix of sweetness and snark on The Middle's season-ender, threatening young Brick's [Atticus Shaffer] graduation into the third grade. "Brick kind of forgets to return his library books, and Betty's character wants the library books," Shaffer told TV Guide Magazine at a Paley Center tribute to the series. "Brick has to go all out to find his library books and return them in time."
Co-creators Eileen Heisler and Deann Heline revealed that while they had White – whom they grew up worshipping in her role as SueAnn Niven on The Mary Tyler Moore Show – on the brain when creating the character, they doubted they'd snag her for the finale.
"We were in the writers room and we came up with came up with this character the librarian, who's sweet but who's had it with Brick so could be a little evil, too," said Heline. "We thought of Betty White, but she was hotter than hot, so we had no reason to think she was ever going to come on the show. But we wrote her a letter and told her the reason we became TV writers was because of Mary Tyler Moore and we've just been the hugest fans, and we sent her the material and just sucked up in every way possible."
"We said 'You can come when you want – Monday, Thursday, Wednesday at 7…doesn't matter, we'll make it work!'" laughed Heisler. "Getting stunt [guests] is very hard, and we had said to the network 'Look, we're not going to have a stunt for the finale, okay? We're just going to make a nice episode and that's what it's going to be, okay?' And then we got the Betty White idea, and when we landed Betty White we felt like the dog who has the bone in his mouth and [drops it at your feet] "There you go!' it was exciting for us because it was organic and fabulous at the same time. It wasn't like just getting the 'hot' person. It was like getting the hot person who was your favorite comedy goddess."
Even 12-year-old Shaffer was awed by his scene partner, soaking up every lesson he could. "It was very cool, and being able to work with such an icon was an absolute pleasure for me, because she's such a great gal and a really good actor," he said. "Betty and I are both really hardcore animal lovers, so we were able to talk about animals together, and I just learned to be yourself and do what you've got to do."
Shaffer was the only member of the regular cast sharing scenes with White, prompting more than a little envy from his co-stars. "Unfortunately I was out of town the day Betty worked," sighed Patricia Heaton, "but I've sat at dinners with Betty socially and we have mutual friends, and she's who I want to be: not only gifted and talented and hard-working, but kind and lovely and always charming and self-deprecating."
"I wasn't working the day she was shooting," said Neil Flynn, "but I came in anyway just to have the chance to meet her."
Flynn's TV daughter Eden Sher was a bit more ingenious in her effort to get closer to White. "I got to rehearse with her!" said Sher. "I stood in for the little extra girl that's with Brick in the scene. I really wanted to meet her, and then Eileen was like 'Just come to the rehearsal' It was a really private rehearsal, which makes sense because otherwise everyone on the crew would be jumping in, like 'Betty! Betty!' So I got to meet her, which was awesome."
"It was incredible, because she had monologues and she had them all memorized – at rehearsal!" marveled Sher. "She's got the most vivacious, incredible aura to be around. I want to be like that when I'm 88! I want to be like that tomorrow! I want to be like that ALWAYS!"
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